<article>Tokyo-listed Japanese Internet major <a href="http://dealstreetasia.com/tag/rakuten" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rakuten Inc.</a> and <a href="http://dealstreetasia.com/tag/TechStars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TechStars</a>, a global accelerator network, have partnered to launch the Rakuten Accelerator.
Rakuten Accelerator powered by Techstars will be hosted in Singapore, the location of Rakuten’s Asia regional head office.</article>

Tokyo-listed Japanese Internet major <a href="http://dealstreetasia.com/tag/rakuten" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rakuten Inc.</a> and <a href="http://dealstreetasia.com/tag/TechStars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TechStars</a>, a global accelerator network, have partnered to launch the Rakuten Accelerator.
Rakuten Accelerator powered by Techstars will be hosted in Singapore, the location of Rakuten’s Asia regional head office.
The three-month mentorship-driven Rakuten Accelerator is aimed at providing innovative startup companies from around the world the chance to shape the future of “Messaging as a Platform” for new technologies and includes initial funding, as well as three months of immersed mentorship.
The inaugural class of approximately 10 startups in this accelerator program will focus on innovating how businesses and consumers use messaging to conduct business and stay connected.
Hiroshi Takasawa, head of Rakuten’s investment arm Rakuten Capital, and newly appointed CEO at Rakuten Asia’s regional head office, will be one of the key executives collaborating on the global team setting the direction of the Rakuten Accelerator program.
In a statement, he said, “We’re thrilled at the opportunity to share our business and technical expertise with the disruptive innovators of the future. Together with Techstars, an organization with a remarkable track record for developing startup talent, I am very optimistic that we can strengthen the Rakuten global ecosystem and advance the culture of open innovation.”
Selected participants will receive a $120,000 (S$162,195) investment, access to the Techstars Network of over 5000 founders, alumni, and mentors, and 400 perks worth over $1 million to develop their ideas, along with mentor support from top executives and leaders from Rakuten’s e-commerce, fintech, digital content, communications, and research and development teams.
Participants in Rakuten Accelerator will also have access to resources from across Rakuten’s global ecosystem of more than 70 services, which includes Rakuten Viber messaging and voice platform.
Other areas considered for the program include: artificial intelligence (AI) including chatbots, chat commerce, mobile wallet and cryptocurrencies, advertising technology, VR and AR solutions, voice recognition, image recognition, translation, content such as music and sports, chat-based IoT, and enterprise integrated messaging.
Techstars was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 2006 by North American entrepreneurs David Cohen, Brad Feld, David Brown, and Jared Polis. The startup incubator and accelerator, which competes with <a href="http://dealstreetasia.com/tag/y-combinator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Y Combinator</a>, operates accelerators across major US cities, as well as outside the US in cities such as London, Adelaide, Tel Aviv, Cape Town, Toronto and Berlin. It operates both industry-agnostic city programmes and vertical-specific programmes in partnership with large corporates.
Just under 1,200 startups have graduated from Techstars Accelerator Programs across the world, including Sphero, SendGrid, and Temasek-backed ClassPass. On average companies who pass through a Techstars Accelerator Program go on to raise over $2 million in outside funding.
David Brown co-founder and co-CEO of Techstars said, “Partnering with global tech powerhouse Rakuten to bring a Techstars Accelerator Program to Singapore is a major milestone for us. This accelerator will be the first for Techstars in an Asian city and ranks Singapore alongside other worldwide startup hubs like Boulder, New York, London, and Berlin.&#8221;
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Japanese Internet major Rakuten and startup incubator TechStars are partnering to launch Rakuten Accelerator in Singapore.

Rakuten-Techstars partner to launch accelerator in Singapore

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Rakuten-Techstars partner to launch accelerator in Singapore

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